


Between Two Wars

by Cryellow



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Mystery, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:34:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cryellow/pseuds/Cryellow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One: Sunny Days

**Author's Note:**

> Between Two Wars
> 
> Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.
> 
> Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)
> 
> Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica

The morning Annabeth cried her eyes to oblivion was a normal one. She woke up like any other day. She had glanced beside her to the handsome black haired man beside her. His eyes were shut peacefully as his drool escaped onto his pillow. She sighed contently as she kept her gaze on the son of Poseidon. She knew she should have woke him up, since he had work this morning as well as she did, but she just was happy letting him sleep. He never seemed to get enough of it, she mused to herself. She left the bed and walked into the dining room to go and find breakfast. To her dismay, they forgot to go shopping. Instead of feeling frustrated at the situation however, she put on some proper clothes, ran a hand through her hair, and left their small apartment.  
Annabeth sighed in the warm spring air. She glanced around her surroundings. New Rome was a bustle of people, like usual. There were children running and playing. There was and old couple on their patio, watching the sun rise slowly overhead.  
Annabeth remembered Percy's loud whoop, the day she agreed to go to New Rome for college. Sure, she had totally planned to go to another school, but still she had seen the gleam in Percy's eyes and knew she was a goner. After finishing both of their high school exams, she and her boyfriend had moved to New Rome. She smiled at the dim memory of him knocking his head on a cabinet their first day moving in. She really loved that Seaweed Brain.  
The college at New Rome, though, was pretty cool. She took up their architecture courses while Percy took up swimming. He was total cheat, since every other student was barely decedent's of Poseidon and even a couple of minor sea gods. He was a pure half blood of Poseidon. She had urged him to take a different field of study, maybe one where he could learn something, but his reply had been "I could go to the Olympics this way". Annabeth shook though her haze of memory and walked over to a donut vendor. She got two to bring home, smiling to the man.  
Annabeth was vaguely reminded that her and Percy were finishing their senior year in college in a couple months. She was surprised to find she looked forward to it, since now she could devote most of her time to designing new projects around the city.  
She walked back into their apartment, seeing Percy sitting at the table with a coffee mug in hand, only his boxers on. Annabeth plopped the bag with the two donuts and leaned over, giving the sleepy head a kiss.  
"Morning," she said, opening the bag.  
He grunted, pleased with her offering but not quite awake yet. She handed him a blue donut on a napkin and started eating her own Boston creme with a satisfied expression. She sat across from him on their table in the middle of the apartment. It was a cozy place, but it was relatively small. Annabeth had decorated everything but the bathroom- that was Percy's doing. There was a nice modern feel to the place, yet a nice warm feeling of ancient Greece.  
Percy blinked his eyes looking at his girlfriend, confused. His hair was disheveled and his shoulders were slumped. He wasn't quite awake yet.  
"What?" She said giving him a side smile.  
"Don't you usually get a double chocolate?"  
"Why would I do that?" She laughed. "I always get a Boston creme."  
"Not on your period. You always get a double chocolate. And trust me, I've kept up to date on when your period starts, Annabeth." He remarked.  
She blushed at the innuendo. Why? She didn't know. It's just talking about your period with your boyfriend? Not exactly an easy conversation. Usually ends up with Annabeth blushing or laughing nervously, or Percy completely grossed out. Nevertheless, he was right. They usually kept track of that. Yesterday was supposed to be the day it started but she realized with a jolt that it hadn't occurred to her. She woke up and she was clean.  
"It's just late," she said soothingly. "It'll probably come later today."  
Percy gave her a side eye but decided not to comment further. It's not like they didn't use protection, Annabeth was on the pill after all. It always worried him when she was late though. She decided not to think too hard about that.  
"Don't forget Jason and Piper are coming over for dinner tonight," Annabeth said after swallowing a bite of donut.  
"Ah man," Percy said. "I forgot. I was supposed to train for the backstroke tonight. I guess I'll have to cancel."

"I would hope so, seeing as we haven't seen them in what? 5 months?"

"New Years," Percy replied, finishing his donut.

"Right. It's May,"Annabeth noted. "Can you believe we graduate in like a month?"

Percy shook his head. "I swear it was only a month ago that I arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Time flies so fast."

Annabeth agreed. She still remembered the time she came to camp for the first time, Thalia Grace fighting a wave of monsters, Luke Castellan holding Annabeth in his arms, running up a massive hill approaching the valley below. Now darker memories plague her from time to time. Memories of a swirling face and colorful flowers around a poison goddess. She pushed them down and focused on the conversation.

"Have to talked to the two of them at all?" Annabeth mused, wiping her creme filled hands on her napkin. They really did have good food here at New Rome. Not like New York, but it was a close second. She'd never admit that out loud though.

"Actually yeah..." Percy said a goofy grin spreading on his face. "I talked to Jason about 2 weeks ago. He mentioned something about proposing to Piper."

Annabeth let that sink in for a moment before she gasped in happiness and smiled wide. "That's great! Has he done it yet?"

"Well I don't know. He only mentioned it. I haven't had a chance to talk to him about it since."

"He should. They are absolutely perfect for each other." Annabeth said it with a certainty. All of them had too much misery in their lives. Both of them deserve to be happy. She held onto this truth like a strong rope, holding her above all the things they all had done.

"Well don't say anything. He was still a little nervous about it when I talked to him. Mentioning it might make him back down," Percy laughed.

Annabeth held up her hands in a placating manor. "I won't. Besides, I'll probably be too busy talking to Piper about how counseling is going. She's really good at it."

Percy glanced at his watch and frowned. "We gotta go to class," he sighed. "Don't wanna be late. Oh and I have to run an errand after class, so don't wait up."

"Pick up some stuff for dinner while you're out." She said absently, getting ready for school.

The day passed by in a blur. Sure her classes were pretty long and consisted of most of the day, but Annabeth was mainly thinking about the field plans. She had 3 new temples being built right now. The hill was already full from the beginning, but now Annabeth was thinking about remodeling the whole camp. If they wanted the proper temples, it might take that much.

After class, she headed over to the building site, the plans spread over a long table. She was just about to yell at a couple of fighting sons of Mercury, when Reyna walked over from the bridge crossing the Little Tiber. Her purple cape billowed in the wind as she headed toward the blonde. Reyna smiled at the sight of her and stopped beside her in front of the plans.

"Oh wow," Replied the praetor examining the blue paper. The temples on Annabeth's design went from the farther regions of the mountains all the way to south of the little Tiber. Some were spread on the inside of the "G". Instead of a label, each of the temples and a symbol. On seperate smaller plans, were the designs for each individual temple. Annabeth shrugged.

"Unfortunately,"she said, pointing to the southern temples, "it spread farther than I thought. It isn't quite going to be 'Temple Hill' anymore."

Reyna sighed happily at the plans. "It looks amazing, Annabeth. It truly does."

After that, Annabeth's mood changed considerably. "You think so? Thanks"

By the time she came home, Percy was already cooking dinner. She could smell the strong aroma from the hallway. Annabeth took a huge whiff and sighed with pleasure.

"Your mom's famous lasagna," Annabeth replied. She put her keys on the hanger by the door and slipped her shoes off. Padding across the hall into the kitchen she saw Percy taking the baking glass pan out of the oven. Annabeth stopped in the doorway and examined her man. His lean back muscles showed through his shirt. The shirt itself was the same sea green as his eyes, he also wore tight jeans that hugged his butt in a nice way. His bare feet danced around the floor, dancing in time to "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. His hands were delicate as he placed the pan on the stove and shut the oven off. His black hair flew around his hair in waves as he bobbed his head to the music.

Annabeth quietly padded behind him, about to hug his torso, when she realized he was muttering something. She stopped midway and hid behind the fridge. Apparently he didn't notice her, because he continued to mutter under his breath as he slid the oven mitt off his hand. With a jolt, Annabeth heard her own name in his mutterings and listened intently.

"Annabeth, I can't...no. No. Annabeth, you...no no." He sighed in frustration. Annabeth wondered vaguely if he was trying to prepare a speech. There were only two kinds that started like that: He was cheating on her- Or he was breaking up with her. In Annabeth's haste, she had forgotten there was another type of speech. Unfortunately, she wouldn't realize that until much later. She mustered up the courage and walked back to the door opening it and slamming it for effect.

"I'm home!" She called. She walked back to the kitchen once more. When she walked back in he was facing her with a slight green to his cheeks. He honest to goodness looked like the kind of character in children's movies, portraying a sick person. She didn't take that as a good sign. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

"Y-Yeah," he said, wiping his face with his hand. "Just overworked myself in practice today."

Annabeth wanted to point out that he had went and got groceries and cancelled practice for their dinner, but she decided against it. If he was going to have the balls to tell her the truth, she wasn't going to push him to do so. He had to do it on his own.

"The lasagna smells great," Annabeth said. "When did your mom give you the recipe?"

"Oh it was a while ago, when I went to visit Jane in the hospital." Annabeth remembered when Percy left to go visit his sister after she broke both her left leg and her right arm. The way Sally Jackson had made it sound on the Isris message sounded like she had been attacked- when in fact the only thing that had attacked the 4 year old was her bike as she ran head first into a giant tree. Annabeth almost grinned at the memory, but one look at Percy and the grin died. He still looked very green.

"They'll be here in a few. Is there anything else to do?" She asked looking at the preset table. It was set for four around the tiny kitchen table.

"Nah," He said. "All set. Even made some cookies." Percy gestured to the tray of blue chocolate-chip cookies set on the counter.

"And don't worry," Percy cut in."Didn't use eggs or milk in the cookies, and a veggie lasagna. It's all vegan stuff. Don't wanna be insensitive."

Annabeth felt her cheeks expand into a smile despite herself. Percy walked up to her and put his arms around her waist. Her hands moved to place firmly on his chest. She looked up into his eyes and couldn't imagine a world without him. Then the memory of his mutterings came back to her and she lowered her eyes. Just ignore it, she chastised herself, it probably meant nothing.

Percy grasped her chin in his left hand.

"Hey," He said getting her attention again. "I love you."

Annabeth swallowed some witty retort. She sensed he had something else to tell her. She held onto his every word urging him not to say what she thought he was saying. But she was confused. His arm was around her waist. His eyes shone with love. Then why did he look like he wanted to throw up so bad? Why did he seem so nervous? If he was going to break up with her, why would he get so intimate? To tear her heart out?

"Annabeth I love you and I-"Percy began closing his eyes. Annabeth only had time to think this is it before they both heard the doorbell ring sharply.

Percy sighed, let go of Annabeth, muttered "I got it", and walked to the door.

Annabeth stood in the kitchen feeling like a knife was stabbed through her chest.


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between Two Wars
> 
> Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.
> 
> Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning) 
> 
> Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

Annabeth took in a sharp breath, preparing herself for guests. I love you, he had said. Then why did it feel like her heart was shattering to pieces? She still felt the ghost of his arm around her waist as she stood up straight and tried to smile. He hadn't broken up with her yet. She just had to face the reality that she had to. She had to break up with him- or hearing it from him would break her completely. She couldn't hear him utter those words. He meant too much to her. She just had to be strong enough to do it herself. That idea filled her with more dread than when she grasped at his hand, plunging into Tartarus. She wondered dimly what happened for him to suddenly decide this. Had she done something? Was she not enough? Was all those battles and fights and times they were back to back, where they not enough for him? Or was it too much? Did she end up being the ghost of those wounds? The ghost of those battles and the loses? There were so many reasons Annabeth could come up with that she was surprised he hadn't done it sooner. The thought filled her with sorrow. If she was honest with herself (which she wasn't) she almost wished he had done it before they went to college together. Before she built her life around him. Before she got so used to the idea of him being there that the times he wasn't felt like holes. Her skin stung with the realization that her life would feel like a hole, after tonight. She would have to do it tonight. She couldn't bear the waiting. He would be too much of a coward. Especially when it came to her.

The door opened as Percy greeted Piper and Jason with a cheery greeting. Annabeth put her hair behind her ear with nervous fingers, calming her thoughts before they saw her. She knew Piper. She would read her and know immediately. Annabeth couldn't let that happen. It was too personal, and frankly too painful to talk about out loud.

When they came into the kitchen/dining room, Annabeth greeted them with open arms. She smiled and hugged them and acted like everything was okay. She willed herself to believe it- hoping it would show on her face.

"Look at you!" Annabeth said animatedly holding Piper at arms length. Piper's entire being just radiated happiness. Her brown hair was nice and combed with braids. She had on a cute top with bleached jeans and black flats. She had minimal makeup- as custom to the native american girl. On her left hand glittered a diamond ring, shaped like a heart. Piper held it up with fevered joy. Annabeth, in turn, screamed with glee. She was so happy for the two of them she couldn't help the real smile that escaped her lips. "That's wonderful!"

"He did it on a roof while we were watching the stars," Piper said conspiratorially. "It was soooo romantic!"

Jason grinned behind her, putting his hands in his pants pockets. He wore a simple t-shirt (Pontiac maximum!) and a pair of nice jeans. He looked so at ease and happy it almost made Annabeth relax. Almost.

They sat at the table and ate lasagna with vigor. "This is fantastic!" Piper mused, halfway through her plate. Jason grunted with approval around his second helping.

"So what's been going on at Camp Half-Blood?" Percy asked, having finished his plate.

"Oh, Grover didn't tell you?" Piper said with a grin.

"What? What didn't Grover tell me? He's all the way over there most of the time. It's hard enough to see the guy when we visit." Percy replied. He said we with such ease, almost like he didn't think about it. It tore at Annabeth's heart that he didn't try to make the change now. You know the Seaweed Brain. He'd wait for a good time alone, which might not happen. He'll wait and then he won't do it, she said to herself.

"Juniper is pregnant!" Piper said with glee. "They think it might be twins, she's getting so big!"

"I'm going to kick him in his furry butt. He can't even drop an Iris-message? I have to hear it from you guys? No offense."

"None taken," Jason said. "He's just frantic taking care of her. He does everything for her. Barely even leaves camp to go do Council meetings. Most of the time he begs her to come with him, but she resolutely stays in the forest. She says being near too many grumpy satyrs will affect the babies," He laughed. Soon the other three joined him, Percy making satyr faces all the while.

As the night went on, Annabeth felt the dread seep through her bones. She knew what she had to do when they left and she was not prepared for it. She tried her best to talk to Piper like she intended, asking about counseling and about how she could possibly deal with all that pressure of listening to adolescent demigods. Throughout their conversation, Piper grew worrisome. She looked like she could feel Annabeth's dread. Her mouth was about to open, her eyebrows upturned for a question, when Jason interceded, taking Piper's hand.

"It's almost 11, babe," the son of Jupiter interrupted. "We should probably get back to your dad's place. You don't want his bodyguard to attack us again, do you?"

"He almost attacked us," Piper supplied. She looked back at Annabeth as if wanting to say something more, but instead she closed her mouth. She sighed and stood up.

"See you at the Fourth of July at Camp?" Jason asked, looking at Percy. He nodded, smiling.

All four of them exchanged meaningful hugs as the couple departed. With one last glance backward, Piper stared intently at Annabeth. Use your brain she seemed to say. Do what you think is best. Annabeth reluctantly nodded, despite herself and smiled one last time as the door shut behind the brunette.

Do what she thought was best? Best for whom? No situation was a good one for her. No matter what she did, she was left a broken mess.

Percy sighed, looking pretty exhausted from the long day. He rubbed his neck and looked sideways at Annabeth. Her hands started shaking slightly under his gaze and she defiantly found something to occupy them with. Even if that was the dishes, it was better than the wave of nausea the son of the sea god was giving her. He took that as an invitation and dried off the dishes she washed. She was just about to hand him one of the last dishes- a stray plate- when her hand betrayed her and shook, dropping and consequently breaking the plate on the floor. Percy jumped back in surprise with a "Woah".

"Di immortales," Annabeth said putting her hand to her head. Unfortunately, the hand shook on her forehead, giving away her nervous energy. She bent to pick up a large chunk and accidentally held onto it too hard. It cut her hand with a large gash and she cried out. Her blood spread on the tile in the kitchen as she dropped the chunk in surprise. "Ouch!"

"Annabeth," Percy said falling to his knees in front of both her and the shattered remains of one of their favorite blue plates. "Baby what's wrong?"

"Just tired is all," Annabeth said. She couldn't bring herself to do it. The way he called her baby, full of concern. Percy took a clean dishtowel that was hanging from the oven and wrapped it around her hand.

"I'll get the ambrosia," He said, getting up to go to the bathroom where they held their emergency supplies.

"Percy, don't." She said, holding her hand to her chest. The pain in her hand reminded her of the pain of her heart. It stung- but maybe it would go away with time. "I'll be fine. Really. Let's just finish, okay? It'll be b-better tomorrow." She winced, hearing her own stutter. Why was she being so weak? Annabeth Chase doesn't get scared from monsters. She doesn't back away from a fight. Why was this so hard for her? She realized with a jolt that she was afraid. Afraid of losing the boy with the sea-green eyes and messy black hair. The same eyes that looked at her with concern now. His concern was the thing that helped her- she got angry from it. He was the one who was going to break up with her, after all. Why should he have concern for her bleeding hand? He was only going to leave giving her a bleeding heart too.

She was only dimly aware that a few more drops of her blood fell from the cloth to the floor. Percy's eyes hardened and he left for the bathroom anyway. This only fueled her fire. Anger coursed through her now- lending her the strength she wouldn't have had. This had to happen sooner, not later. Percy walked back in the room with a square of ambrosia and a spare canteen of nectar.

"Here," He said softly, taking her hand and unwrapping it. He led her over to the table, sitting to the side to tend to her wound. Annabeth winced as she looked at the angry red gash running across her palm.

"Why?" Percy asked. "Why did you do this? What's wrong, for real?"He looked into her eyes and she started before she could stop herself.

"What's wrong? Are you for real? I can't do this anymore, Percy. I'm done." She said it like a robot- like she was reading off lines from a script. They weren't what she felt but she couldn't make him hurt himself by breaking up with her. She understood she had to shoulder the burden of breaking them up like she once shouldered the sky. She did it- did it for someone she loved.

"Done? Done with wha-" He stopped himself as he looked her in the eyes. She held her ground, determined not to break. Not to reveal herself. He'd fake hurt, maybe. He'd try to pretend he wasn't relieved. Maybe he'd relax himself away from her out of sheer decency. Percy was nothing if not polite. "No." He said, his voice cracking. "You can't mean that."

She almost broke her facade then. She almost broke, but sadly she didn't. She put on the same stature she would if she was fighting a monster- and she was. She was fighting her own emotions, trying to put them in neat little rows. It killed her to see him this way. If there were any real weapons in New Rome, she probably would have taken the safer option and resorted to suicide. But no, here she was and here she had to stay. Why continue when you're unhappy? Why try when only one side wants too? She couldn't put him through that. She didn't want him too. Especially if that meant he was in a relationship he was unhappy about.

"I do." She said deadpanned. "I think it's better this way."

Inside her head she was screaming. Shouting that she wanted him to see the truth. But maybe it was better this way. Better if it meant he was happier. Better even if he was with someone else. That thought alone made her dream for Tartarus.

What she hadn't expected was for him to drop to his knees in front of her. She looked into his eyes and saw a broken man. "No.No." He pleaded at her. She dimly wondered how bad he really wanted to hurt her. He must actually hate her by putting her through this. She clenched her bleeding hand in an effort to take some control over her emotions. She couldn't show weakness. She couldn't back down. This was for the best.

She stole herself and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure they'll let me get a separate apartment. I can move my things out in less than a week." She opened her eyes and saw he was looking deep into her's once more.

"You can't do this. You can't be serious," Percy said disbelieving. "Does Tartarus mean nothing to you? Do I...do I mean nothing to you?!" Tears flowed freely from his face. His face was a mask of pain. But that was it, Annabeth guessed. Only a mask. "What about never again? I promised you. I promised you I'd never leave you again. How are you going to make me break that promise?"

Annabeth moved her head to the side, no longer able to look at his broken features. He must truly hate her to put her through this. "Look at me! I love you Annabeth! I do! Y-You can't do this, please you can't mean it!" He was babbling now, in a desperate attempt to do-what? To make her feel worse? To make sure he couldn't feel bad about it? If he had truly loved her, he would have let it go. He wouldn't put her through so much. But he was, and that only hardened Annabeth's resolve more. That sadness had to come from somewhere- acting is only truly good if you felt it. She made him sad, and that was something she never wanted.

She hid away her real feelings and made fake ones- bravery, and indifference. She looked him in the eyes. "I mean it. I'm breaking up with you Percy."

A sob escaped him. And then another. Before the third one fully hit, he had run out of the house. Annabeth sat there in the chair in the kitchen. The table around her hand made a puddle of blood as she had it clenched.

The minute she heard the door close behind him, she let out all of her grief. She shattered into held in sobs. Her body was racked with pain- more than the knife wound during the Titan war. More than her injuries from Tartarus. More than any battle scar she had ever gotten. The entire time she longed to say "Hah! Sike! April Fools!". Instead she felt her very soul crack. She passed out from a mixture of grief, pain, and blood loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Hey so yeah. The first two chapters I felt like it should really be from Annabeth's point of view. I always really loved her characterization. Next chapter is going to be from Percy's. If you kinda guessed, Percy didn't want to break up with her. He did, however want to do something else, which I conveniently put in there 2 times. It's really obvious. Please feel free to leave a comment and a fav or whatever else you wanna do. I'm pretty frequent with updates so you don't have to worry. Tell your friends! Talk to me, I love feedback! Thanks!~Cryellow


	3. Waves of Emotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between Two Wars
> 
> Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.
> 
> Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)
> 
> Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

Chapter 3: Waves of Emotion

Annabeth was right. He was always running away from things he was scared about. He's never been afraid of monsters, badies, or friends in need, but he was afraid of what just happened. He was afraid of Annabeth breaking up with him. In reality it was pretty obvious. Annabeth saw Piper's ring and was probably really jealous (even if she'd never admit it). She probably realized Percy would wait too long for things like that. She probably decided he wasn't worth her time. Her cold indifference as she told him I'm breaking up with you Percy still rang through his head.

He couldn't blame her. He was probably the worst person he knew. You have to be pretty bad to keep begging with that look on her face, he said to himself. He had hurt her, and instead of accepting what she said, he had begged. He had pleaded and sobbed. Annabeth didn't want someone as weak as him. No wonder she broke up with him.

He blinked around, examining his surroundings. He hadn't really had a destination but somehow he ended on one of the bridges arching over the Little Tiber. Water, he mused to himself. He always ended up near water when he was upset. Like the day he had walked to the beach of Long Island Sound, the day he left on a quest to the sea of monsters. Or the day he plunged Nancy Bobofit into the museum fountain. Today it was the Little Tiber. He stood on the bridge looking toward Temple Hill. It was fairly chilly out, but he decided not to take notice. He couldn't go back there tonight. He couldn't face her.

Annabeth. Her name was like some enchanted word. Names hold power, Mr. D once told him. Percy shook his head at how true it was. Her name was one of the most powerful things he would ever utter. Now the wielder of that name had broke him into a million pieces. Percy guessed that Ouranos must have felt this bad when he was chopped up by his wife and sons. Scattered, alone, useless, scared. He was. Percy was every one of those things. He was because he loved her. He loved her with every single fiber of his being. He was determined that Annabeth was the half of a person Zeus had chopped. He had found his soulmate, only for her to break his heart.

Oddly enough, he didn't blame her. She had said it with no conviction, almost like the thought of being with or without him didn't matter, just that this time she thought it might be easier to be without. He shuddered to himself. She almost had sounded like a monster. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Maybe he couldn't possibly believe she'd do this, so he started to give her a monster persona.

Stop it, he chastised himself. She isn't a monster for feeling different. She isn't any less.

That was especially true, because no matter what she said, he would still love her. He promised her, and he was nothing if not fiercely loyal. He was determined not to break that promise.

Absentmindedly, he grabbed something large out of his back pocket. He frowned at it for the 5th time today.

About a week ago Percy was determined to propose to Annabeth. He tried to get some fancy ring but instead he decided against it. She was Annabeth. She wasn't too flashy. She was practical. So that's the kind of ring he got her. It had a wide clamshell for the top, the mouth open wide to a giant pearl in the middle. On the inside of the ring said I believe in us. When he bought the ring he did his greatest to make sure that she didn't find out. He wanted to surprise her- really surprise her. So he did the smart thing and hid it in a fountain near their apartment. No one went in there, or cleaned it very well for that matter, which meant Annabeth wouldn't go looking for it there.

The next day he searched the library for ancient Greek engagement rituals. He guessed he could have asked Chiron, or maybe some one else, but he wanted to put the effort in. She was worth it. So with no luck, seeing as it was a Roman library after all, he headed home. He passed by the local vendors with no real interest, but at one he stopped suddenly. There behind a fruit stand was a woman in black clothing. Her features were very regal and haughty. Her face almost looked like porcelain. A memory tickled at the back of his mind, but he was unsure why.

"Apple, sir?" the woman asked. When she raised her eyebrow a wave of self doubt almost crushed him. He fought against it with everything he had.

"I'm n-not good enough for one," He said against his will.

"No, you're not." She agreed. "But have one regardless." She waved her hand in front of the apples. There were bright red ones, shiny green ones, and golden yellow ones. Without thinking, he picked a golden one and his legs carried him away.

By the time Percy had realized, hey, that was a little strange, he turned around and saw the stand and the woman had disappeared. He had sighed, knowing that the woman had probably been a goddess, and not necessarily a nice one. After that, Percy looked all over the library for anything about apples. He got no luck. So he decided to use the internet. Okay, yes he had -maybe- bribed a son of Vulcan into figuring out some way to get wifi but it was all in the search of knowledge. He found a Wikipedia page about ancient Greek engagement.

"No way," he had muttered to himself. There on the page told the story of Eris, the golden apple, and the start of the Trojan War. "Dear gods, no."

He went outside and looked up to the sky. "Why?! Why can't we have one MINUTE of peace?! Just leave us alone!" He shouted to the heavens. 2 children ran passed him, scared for his safety, obviously thinking he'd get struck by lighting on the spot.

That night he tried to get rid of it. It didn't go away. No trash can held it. It reappeared in his pocket like Riptide used to. He wished Terminus let weapons into New Rome, but sadly the son of the sea god left his magical pen with the talking bust year round.

Resolute, even if the thing poisoned him, Percy went home, sat on the kitchen table, and bit the apple. He was prepared to die a painful death by gorgon blood. Instead, however, he got a nice juicy bite of golden delicious. He shrugged and kept eating. At least he would have, had he not bit into part of the core and almost broke a tooth. He looked into the apple and found the ring for Annabeth. Shocked, he tried to pull it out. It didn't budge.

With a jolt Percy guessed that maybe only Annabeth could take it out, if she accepted his apple. Percy felt the knaw at his bones with the feeling this apple meant only trouble.

Now he was here, leaning on the bridge, the apple in his hand, no teeth marks or chunks out of the apple. He was here, and Annabeth had broken up with him. Percy, of course, blamed himself. He should have talked to someone about it, maybe got some explanation. He shouldn't have kept it in the hopes to give it to Annabeth. He had got it from Eris after all. She probably still had a grudge after the whole Nyx thing in Tartarus. Not to mention she was the goddess of strife. The goddess of making trouble and that's what she did and now Annabeth had broken up with Percy.

Percy got really angry. He wanted to give Strife some trouble of her own. Like a very powerful demigod that she just got on her bad side.

Percy was dimly aware that the sun had risen up. It was morning and people would be going about their days. Percy didn't want to talk about what happened. He didn't want to feel worse about himself. He hurried his way back to the apartment, assuming maybe Annabeth was out early or possibly still asleep.

He was right. She was asleep on the table, like she hadn't moved all night. Her hand lay in a sticky mess of her own blood. Her hair was disheveled and her face was tear stained. Percy knew he should have been mad. She broke up with him, why should she be crying? But Percy understood. Like he had felt at the apple stand, Annabeth must have been motivated by emotions she couldn't control. By the time they let go of their hold on her, she was a sobbing mess.

His heart sighed a little looking at her calm resting face. He couldn't just leave her. Not like this- and surely not in a pool of her own blood. He picked her up gently, trying not to wake her. He brought her to their bed and laid her down on her side. He pulled up her blanket but extracted her cut hand. He examined it thoroughly. Her demigod blood had healed her somewhat, but Percy could see signs saying she might get an infection. He hated the possibility of her waking up, but he didn't want her hurt. Not anymore than she already was. He lightly poured nectar over her wound. She winced in her sleep, shifted slightly, but didn't wake. Percy breathed a sigh of relief. Her wound closed itself and he went to clean up the remains from the kitchen.

He wiped the blood off the table first. That was the easiest part. He swept the glass from the plate off the floor and threw it into the trash. When he went to go push in their chairs he noticed a brown blotch on the one she had been sitting on. Annabeth's period, Percy would have guessed, only usually it wasn't as brown. He decided that he didn't have medical training and wiped it off the seat. After he was done cleaning, he contemplated what he wanted to do next. Did he wait and explain to her what happened? Should he pack his things and leave? Percy felt a bitter taste in his mouth grow at the thought of leaving her forever. He would never forgive himself.

But what if she really did feel like they should break up? What if she had spoken the truth? Surely Percy should be able to live with that. He should be able to cope with it. He found it was harder to think that way. Finding someone to blame was easy. The gods did it themselves. They blamed someone else for the mess. But accepting that Annabeth might have been actually doing what she felt was best- that tore at Percy's heart like a new wound.

He felt new tears sting his eyes, begging to come out. He couldn't accept that. He couldn't believe she might think that way. She had to have been under some spell, or influenced by some nasty god or goddess. It wouldn't be the first time they had been made pawns.

This is what I get for trying to be happy? Percy asked himself. The gods toy with us again? After all the battles I've fought and wars I've won, now this?

He decided that even if he did stay until she woke up, or maybe even until she found some new place, Percy wouldn't be able to contain himself. He'd resort to begging again. He'd plead for her to stay with him after all they'd been through and inevitably make it harder for the both of them. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that she might actually want this. He remembered what he asked her. Does Tartarus mean anything? Do I...do I mean anything to you? His throat clenched at the memory and against his will he felt his cheeks wet with fresh tears. She had looked away from him. She had made no comment. She had taken it, like some kind of beating.

She can't feel that way. As long as I have breath in my body, I have to believe she doesn't feel that way. He said it like a mantra, like some silent prayer.

"You listen to me," Percy said to the heavens. "I will never leave Annabeth. I swear it on the River Styx."

He shuddered as a chill ran through him. It is done. Oh what we will do for the ones we love said a faint voice. It was beautiful and faintly familiar. He felt the resurface of a memory, of a dark dry plain and a dead taco stand.

His shoulders grew taught as he remembered who it is. "Let us be," Percy said defiantly. "We've played your game before. Did everyone else just get too boring?"

No, the voice supplied. I am simply dusting off an old book just to read it again.

"We fell into Tartarus. Not exactly a romance novel," Percy muttered angrily. The voice remained silent. He guessed the love goddess didn't feel like arguing, even if she had the better point.

Heaving a sigh, he decided to clear out for now. It wasn't leaving Annabeth, he said to himself. Just giving her some space and time to think. He grabbed some odds and ends- basic stuff for a day or two- and went in search of a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I always really loved the story of Eris and the apple. I always thought it was wrong, though. The apple was for the 'fairest' originally, but in my opinion that is not love. Aphrodite getting that apple is BS. Love can be really unfair sometimes. Sorry if the period talk is a little gross, it's important to the story. Feel free to fav, comment, etc. Next chapter is going to be through Annabeth's POV again. Thanks! ~Cryellow


	4. No One Else Can Feel It For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between Two Wars
> 
> Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.
> 
> Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)
> 
> Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. There life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?
> 
> Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica

Chapter 4: No One Else Can Feel It For You

Annabeth woke up to the sound of birds. She blinked her eyes blearily looking around. The first thing she noticed was the empty bed beside her. Maybe he went out for breakfast, she told herself. Maybe it was all in my head.

The sunlight streamed through their window, leaving a warm patch right on Annabeth's legs. She pulled off the blanket and noticed she was still in her pants and shirt from yesterday. She wiped her eyes with her hands, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. She felt the crusted tear stains on her cheeks and felt her heart plummet. So it hadn't been a dream. She examined her hand, looking for the angry gash that should still be there. Instead, she found a faint scar on the inside of her palm. It was then that Annabeth realized Percy had come home some time. He had tucked her into bed, and cleaned her wound. That thought left her with a deep sadness. After all she had told him last night- and there he was, taking care of her anyway. She got out of bed and felt a wave of nausea hit her. She ran her way to the bathroom, praying to get there in time.

She leaned over the toilet and threw up last night's lasagna straight into the porcelain. When she was done, she sat down by the bowl exhausted. She wiped her mouth hesitantly with her hand. All this drama is making me sick, she told herself. More like all the heart break. She stayed in the bathroom for a whole 30 minutes, waves of nausea coming down on her. She felt her eyes water and her throat burn.

After the ordeal, she miserably went to change out of yesterday's clothes. She noticed the brown stains on her underwear and the sheets and proceeded to say this was one of the worst days she'd ever had. Almost worse than meeting the spider queen Arachne, or meeting Titans in the eternal pit of darkness. But for those times she had Percy. He had been there to listen to her story and comfort her. Today she had no one.

She wished with all her might that she could talk to him, to possibly explain herself. Maybe that might ease his pain somewhat. She decided that was just wishful thinking. She remembered the raw pain in his eyes and wondered if she had made a mistake. Maybe he didn't want to break up with her at all? Maybe she made assumptions and...and what? Even if she took it all back, it didn't matter now. It was already done. She had already burned that bridge.

Yet a thought tugged at her. He came back to take care of her. Surely he wouldn't come back if he didn't feel something.

She sighed, her mind a haze of thoughts. Without thinking, she had got dressed for class. She shrugged and decided it was probably for the best. Sitting around wrapped in her own mind was a terrible situation to be in. Resolutely, she got her stuff, wiped away a stray tear, and left for college.

Without thinking, Annabeth sat on the bench after school, expecting her Seaweed Brain to come get her and walk her to work. She got a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn't do this to him in public. She didn't want to hear what he said in the open, for everyone to hear. She left the bench and walked herself to work, feeling like her usual textbooks were 50 pounds heavier. By the time she reached the work site she had tried to clear her mind completely. She didn't want the temples of Pompona and Vertumnus to be weak- or worse, ugly. Having the spring gods against you during springtime was not a smart move.

It was almost the end of her shift before she realized she was barely paying attention to anything. Her eyes looked over the temples with pride. She smiled at the shapes and the easy colors. She skimmed over the easy mountain side across from the Little Tiber. The sun gleamed over the water, making it shine like thousands of diamonds. The water reminded her of the deep flow of pain straight from her heart. She did not, however, keep her eyes on the worker in front of her, which led to his frown and his subsequent snapping in her face.

"Ms. Chase? Annabeth!" the worker said. She finally shook out of her daze and looked him in his brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Maybe you should lie down, miss. You've been out of it all day. Joshua can help us keep building. Maybe you should go home." It was Nick standing in front of her. He was a couple years older than Annabeth herself and head of the worker crew building the temples. While she did most of the planning and framework, he was the one who made it happen. Joshua was a descendant of Vulcan who loved architecture only a little less than Annabeth herself.

"No it's fine, Nick. What is it you were asking me?" Annabeth replied, trying to focus with all her might.

"I was wondering if after putting the roof on Lady Pompona's temple, you'd like to remodel Lord Neptune's shrine?" She looked over at the tool-shed like building next an impressive temple of Kymopoleia. The prospect of working on Percy's dad's shrine put Annabeth's heart right in her throat. She almost choked on her own spit. She feigned a smile.

"I think after Pompona's, we can stop for the day. Everyone's been working really hard and it's getting hotter out." She couldn't do it. Not today. Maybe some other time- maybe as a way of showing Percy what he meant to her. Maybe as an apology, but not today. Nick looked at her a while, seeing as she never usually lets them leave from work early but decided not to comment.

"Yes Ma'am," He said, finally nodding and heading over to his team. Annabeth breathed a short sigh of relief. She started gathering her papers in an effort to start going home.

Annabeth should have known it was bad when she saw Percy's favorite sweatshirt gone from it's hook. Whenever it was gone- he was wearing it, and also beating something up. Most of the time his own two hands, sometimes it was a practice dummy he had found near the Fields of Mars, sometimes it was a span of grassy area, coated with a fine layer of water Percy had made appear from no where. As he got older Annabeth always noticed his powers were directly related to his emotions. It had been like that when he was in middle school, only now he had other discovered powers. Like when he erupted Mount Helens, and Annabeth gave him their first kiss. Or the time he made a hurricane out of thin air to try and kill a Titan. Nowadays, if he heard about a demigod dying on a quest, or the murmurs of another ancient zealot, he'd usually disappear with his sweatshirt in hand. When she walked through the door and saw he wasn't there she wasn't surprised. Another confrontation would ultimately lead to someone hurt. Neither of them wanted that. Well, at least Annabeth didn't want that. She certainty didn't want him to come home completely fine and say she was right. Yet, she didn't want to see the raw pain in his eyes, or the sorrow in his voice. She wanted to make him feel better, but lately she wasn't sure if she even made him smile.

Annabeth really knew it was bad when he came home. She had sat down on the couch, trying to wash her mind out with some fantasy book (something about a dystopian universe after America. It was really riveting but it was really gory with the death of children and all). She wasn't hungry because the only real thing they had in the fridge was lasagna and she threw that up this morning. She was about to go to a whole new section of her book when the front door slammed open.

Annabeth felt her eyes go wide as she saw the son of Poseidon walk in, his sweatshirt on his back, and the smell of liquor carrying from a mile away.

Now, okay, Annabeth would be the first to admit, she felt like getting completely wasted herself. She had been dreading coming home all day, and the prospect of mind wiping alcohol had been one she was contemplating since she woke up. She had resisted, mainly on the fact she wanted to be in a right state when she saw Percy later that day, and partly on the fact liquor wasn't really her style.

She didn't believe it was Percy's either. He had, after all, been living with an abusive alcoholic for years. The both of them rarely had wine, let alone anything harsh like Bourbon. Yet in came the black haired beauty, stumbling and babbling his way over to her, the obvious smell of Tequila on his breathe. Only Annabeth could smell the faint hint of Whiskey under that. He was not only was plastered, he had also been mixing liquor.

"What in the gods names-" Annabeth started, shocked. She stood up, ready to fight or hold him up, she wasn't sure. She gave him a once over. His hair was sweaty all over his forehead in a mess, his eyes tinged red with all the alcohol. His lips were slightly parted as his breathing was erratic. His sweatshirt was covered in sweat- meaning he probably had been training in it for quite some time. His knuckles were bloody on both hands. The only thing on him that seemed okay were his jeans, but even those, Annabeth remarked, were covered in new holes where he seemed to have been hitting his knees on the ground. He looked an utter mess and when he looked at Annabeth in the eyes she really saw how horrible he felt. Yesterday he had hid behind disbelief, today he showed every inch of his sorrow. Annabeth was not only surprised by this- she could relate. She saw her own sadness in his eyes. She realized she had made a horrible mistake, one she might never get back.

"Annabeth y-you gotta listen to me, okay?" His voice was slurred alarmingly and he swayed as he came to a stop a few feet away from her. "I understand if I'm not- if I'm not what you want anymore."

He took a deep breath and continued, taking her shocked silence as an invitation.

"B-But you were-" He caught himself, screwing his eyes up. "You are the best thing thats ever happened to me. I know that I'm not smart like you or fast or- or- or anything better than you. But you gotta believe me- it's all Eris' fault. She-she did something to you, maybe, I don't know. But she-"

"Eris? The goddess of strife?" Annabeth said looking at him, her eyebrows tightly together.

"Yes. She did something to you or maybe she did it to the apple, I'm not sure-"

"What apple? Percy what are you talking about?" She was concerned for him. He was talking utter nonsense. At least that's what she thought until he pulled out a golden yellow apple the size of his palm, straight out of his back pocket.

"I was going to p-p-propose," He finally said through the haze of his alcohol. "I didn't know that she gave it to me but I knew that's what they did in Greece and I wanted to impress you and-" Annabeth stared wide mouthed at the apple in his hand. Propose?! She covered her mouth with her hand, the pieces clicking into place in her head. She felt a sob escape her as tears started flowing down her face like waterfalls.

"No, no, no!" Percy said out loud. He dropped the apple and stumbled over to her, taking her hands. She could smell the alcohol stronger as his face was close to her's. "It's all Eris' fault. I didn't want to- to tell you like this. I'm a mess and please don't cry Annabeth, no."

He closed his eyes swallowing hard. "I-I know you wanted to b-break up and I'm sorry I'm putting this on you but I had to get it out b-before you slipped away from me." He looked into her eyes and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I see that I'm m-making you sad and I'll go but I wanted- I wanted you to know that I never wanted to hurt you and-" He was stopped as she kissed him. It was sloppy- he was a mess and she was crying but it was passionate. She tasted the Tequila straight from his mouth. They both came for air, gasping.

"Gods I love you," She said, laughing. " I love you and I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt you Seaweed Brain." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him to her. She felt his arms encase her as he hugged her back.

For a while they sat like that, feeling the movement of their breathing like one. Calm and soothing and warm. Then Annabeth realized two things. One, he had thrown up on the carpet behind her, and two, that he had fell asleep holding her. She sighed, moved his hands from her waist, and laid him down on the floor. She stood up, retrieving the apple, and placed it on the kitchen counter.

She would have bit a huge hole in it right then and there but a few things stopped her. While Percy had been worried about Eris handing it to him, Annabeth was not. Eris had done that over the centuries- passed by bachelors or boyfriends and gave them that extra push. Some authors had described it as the flexing of the relationship so you can see it's true form. Like the storm before the rainbow. The authors had said that if the relationship can suffer such stress and succeed, that it was true. This was a good omen, even if it came with an ugly face.

No, Annabeth's main reasoning for not biting into it had to be Percy. For one, he was completely drunk. Would he stand by the things he told her? Or would he blame it on the alcohol? For two, if he really did feel that way, then she wanted him to be awake when she accepted it. She was vaguely reminded of Percy's last birthday party where Annabeth went out of her way to make most of his cake just to see his face. She guessed if he was honest about his sayings, then he'd want to see her face too.

She bent over and cleaned up the sick he had left on the floor. She knew she couldn't lift him and would hurt herself trying, so instead of moving him, she got both their pillows and a blanket and slept on the floor next to him. She shimmied him out of his sweatshirt, tossed it to the side, and curled against his shoulder, a trickle of drool slowly making it down his lips all the while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: :) Drunk Percy is one of my favs. This one seemed kinda short, but in my opinion it was heavy in content. Hope you liked! Next chapter we get to actually see a proposal. If you have been following on anything, you'll see faint signs of an underlying problem. Or is it? :D Anyway, feel free to fav or like or comment or whatever. This has to be one of my favorite chapters of the story so far. It was fun to write. Ciao! ~Cryellow

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> If you want to read more, P.S. I usually post onto my fanfiction.net account first.  
> (Which is https://www.fanfiction.net/~cryellow )  
> Usually any updates that I neglected to do on my wattpad or here will probably be there.  
> Be sure to comment on my story cause I love feedback! Oh, and check out my other stories!  
> Hell, even send in a request for a story and I'll do it!  
> Again thanks guys!  
> ~Cryellow


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